Seismic attenuation attributes with applications on conventional and unconventional reservoirs

Abstract

Seismic attenuation, generally related to the presence of hydrocarbon accumulation, fluid-saturated fractures, and rugosity, is extremely useful for reservoir characterization. The classic constant attenuation estimation model, focusing on intrinsic attenuation, detects the seismic energy loss because of the presence of hydrocarbons, but it works poorly when spectral anomalies exist, due to rugosity, fractures, thin layers, and so on. Instead of trying to adjust the constant attenuation model to such phenomena, we have evaluated a suite of seismic spectral attenuation attributes to quantify the apparent attenuation responses. We have applied these attributes to a conventional and an unconventional reservoir, and we found that those seismic attenuation attributes were effective and robust for seismic interpretation. Specifically, the spectral bandwidth attribute correlated with the production of a gas sand in the Anadarko Basin, whereas the spectral slope of high frequencies attribute correlated with the production in the Barnett Shale of the Fort Worth Basin.